Dan Abramoski Mott Haven Village Preparatory High School

1. What Happens Next?Mott Haven Village Preparatory High School’s Class of 2006 In Their First Year After High School Dan Abramoski Mott Haven Village Preparatory High School

2. How can we better prepare our students for college and support them during college? Rationale: • College Preparation is a key part of the school’s mission • College persistence rates are lower for low-income students of color • I missed my students from last year and spent a lot of time working with them on college admissions and enrollment

3. Mott Haven Village Preparatory High School • 65% Latino, 33% African-American, 2% Asian • Vast majority of the students are from the Bronx • Over 90% Qualify for Free or Reduced Price Lunch • 82% test at Level 1 or Level 2 on the 8th grade English Language Arts Test • 35% of survey respondents learned a language other than English first • 26% of survey respondents were the first in their family to graduate from high school

4. Academic Statistics • GPA’s ranged from 93-63 • 76.2 was the class average • Combined Critical Reading and Math SAT scores ranged from 1000-400 • 695 was the class average • Averages on the 5 Regents Exams ranged from 81.8-34.2 • 60.5 was the class average

6. College Preparation Process • Advisory Program • College Preparation and Leadership Program • English Class • Guidance Department

7. Literature Review • 86% of Asian graduates enroll in college • 76% of white graduates enroll in college • 71% of African American graduates enroll in college • 71% of Latino graduates enroll in college • 85% of graduates from the highest income quartile enroll in college • 58% of graduates from the lowest income quartile enroll in college

8. Literature Review • 1 in 6 Latino and African-American low-income college students leave during their first year and 1 in 3 leave by the end of their second year • 77% of high income students graduate within 6 years • 54% of low income students graduate within 6 years • 67% of white students graduate within 6 years • 47% of Latino students graduate within 6 years • 46% of African-American students graduate within 6 years

9. MHVP Class of 2006 - September 2006Total - 61 Graduates

10. MHVP Class of 2006 - January 2007Total - 61 Graduates

11. Key Themes: Students Who Were Not Enrolled in College • All students said they planned on enrolling in college • Only 3 students enrolled in college and stopped before the end of the 1st semester • 8 students said they were not in college for financial reasons • 3 students said that they were not ready for college or needed a break from school • 3 out of 7 foreign born students did not start college

12. Key Themes: Students Who Were Enrolled in College • 55% felt prepared to write essays in college • 42% were taking remedial classes • 40% were the first in their immediate family to go to college • 34% mentioned that they had trouble with the workload • 20% mentioned trouble with the freedom and/or responsibility of college

13. The Honeymoon Is Over:Data From the Second Semester • Students in and out of school regretted not spending more time choosing the right school • Number of students not in school increased from 15 to 18 students • 9 students started school in September but did not return in January • Financial issues were a greater problem • The work was getting more difficult • 6 out of 15 students who were not in school started school in January

14. Data Analysis and Conclusions • Mott Haven has succeeded in making students believe that they can go to college • Mott Haven has created a successful program for helping students get admitted to college and enrolled in college • Mott Haven needs to better prepare students to succeed in college

15. Financial Aid Policy Recommendations • Tuition at SUNY and CUNY Schools should be cut • Federal Pell grants and New York State TAP grants should be increased • More money should be provided for need based grants • Aid should be made available to all students regardless of their immigration status • Funding for Education Opportunity Programs (EOP) that focus on low-income students of color should be increased

16. College and University Policy Recommendations • Colleges need to take more responsibility for supporting and graduating the students they admit and enroll • EOP programs should be expanded because they have succeeded by providing academic, social, and financial support • Expand orientation programs to include all students regardless of residence status

17. Mott Haven Village Prep Policy Recommendations • Content areas should align expectations with college level work and scaffold in skills throughout high school so that students are prepared for college • Students need to be taught advocacy skills and prepared for the independence they will encounter in college • Information about the cost of college should be more available • More time needs to be spent on the financial aid process

18. Mott Haven Village Prep Policy Recommendations • Money should be made available so that students can visit schools they have been accepted to • Parents should be invited on college trips • Develop list of pipeline schools where our students have been successful • A position should be created to provide on going support to alumni